Fantasy Basketball Week 10 Trade Values: Trade candidates Goran Dragic, Elfrid Payton could change your league
With trade rumors starting to grow, Chris Towers takes a look at how they can shift the Fantasy hoops landscape.
By
Chris Towers
•
6 min read
At this point in the season, you should have a pretty good sense of where your team stands. Circumstances can change, but it should be clear by Week 10 whether your team has a chance to be a contender or not.
Of course, any team in first place at the end of December isn't fated to win a championship, and a team under .500 right now can still make a run in March and April. However, if you need to change course, now is the time to do it, because we're nearing the midway point of the season.
I took to Twitter this week for some reader trade questions, and I'll try to help you make your deals moving forward. (Hit me up @CTowersCBS for your questions.) This week, however, one question stood out to me when looking for what to answer, and I'll devote this week's column to it:
@CTowersCBS not what you asked, but could y'all maybe discuss how much you consider trade rumors when gauging value (Noel, Dragic, etc.)
— Matt Bosarge (@mattbosarge03) December 27, 2016
The Heat are in a tough spot with Goran Dragic. On the one hand, he is enjoying a bounceback season, playing at a higher level than he has since his Phoenix years, which should be great for Dragic' trade value. However, the fact that Miami is open to trading him might be the worst-kept secret in the NBA, which makes it hard for the 10-22 Heat to have much leverage. Dragic can still be a good player on a good team, but it's hard to see him ending up in a better situation than the one he is currently in. Any trade would likely be bad for Dragic's Fantasy value, so if you do own him, it might be a good idea to shop him now; his value may never be higher.
Elfrid Payton's career development hasn't gone as many in Orlando certainly hoped, however, he is starting to show some of the upside that made so many high on him as a prospect. This has been another up-and-down season for Payton, and he found himself benched as a result of Orlando's subpar start to the season. However, he is starting to find his way of late, and the move to the bench seems to have sparked him. In 15 games off the bench in the month of December, Payton is averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, with 12 3-pointers made. The Magic are pretty desperate to turn things around, as the benching of Payton made clear in the first place. His limitations make him a tough player to build around, but Orlando seems to have found something that works, and it would be disappointing if they made a chance right as Payton was figuring things out. Let's hope they keep him around.
Nerlens Noel is the most obvious trade candidate in the NBA, but the 76ers have insisted that they won't make a trade just to make a trade. They still have his restricted free agency this offseason, so there isn't exactly a deadline to get a deal done, so long as they can keep everyone happy. Noel is giving Fantasy players almost nothing in his current role, averaging 7.0 minutes per game with sporadic playing time, but it's hard to justify dropping him if you can avoid it. He can be a top-50 player in a 30-MPG role. If you can afford to keep him around, making a buy-low trade for Noel is a perfect idea.
Nobody has been excited to draft Rudy Gay for about the last five years, and yet there he is, returning top-40 value in Rotisserie scoring through the first 40 percent of the season. The Kings would love to trade Gay, who has made it pretty clear he won't be returning next season. It's hard to imagine him ending up in a better situation then he is in right now, though a team like the Thunder probably has enough shots to around for Gay to get his 14-15 every night. Gay is a big game, but nobody really values him in Fantasy, especially with a trade looking likely. You might be able to get Gay for a relatively low price, relative to his production, and a trade won't necessarily torpedo his value.
It's hard to imagine Deron Williams has much trade value in either Fantasy or real basketball at this point, but if you do have him, he's been a solid contributor over the last few weeks. Williams is averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 assists and 1.9 3-pointers per game over the last 12 games, solid enough production to be worth starting in nearly any Fantasy format. His history has told us that, one way or another, this isn't going to last, of course, as an injury always seems to be looming for Williams. He might not have much value in trade, but it's not hard to see what value he does have cratering before long, either via a trade or injury, so anytime Williams' value moves up, it's worth looking to see what you can get for him. Who knows, maybe Reggie Jackson's owner is on the verge of a panic trade that you can take advantage of.
The Bucks have finally settled on a consistent big man rotation, with Greg Monroe holding down the second unit while John Henson runs with the starters. That hasn't been enough for him to return to his former levels, of course, as he is averaging just 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game even in an improved month of December. However, it's not like Monroe has lost his utility altogether, as he is putting those numbers up in just 20.8 minutes per game, while the Bucks have been consistently better with him on the floor this season. Monroe is still capable of top-50 value, and if you wanted to buy low, a trade to a team that will play him more could turn into a huge win for you.
Point Guards
| Player | H2H | ROTO |
| Russell Westbrook | 52 | 44 |
| James Harden | 49 | 51 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 38 | 53 |
| John Wall | 34 | 29 |
| Chris Paul | 28 | 38 |
| Damian Lillard | 27 | 27 |
| Stephen Curry | 27 | 50 |
| Kyle Lowry | 27 | 32 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 25 | 23 |
| Kemba Walker | 24 | 29 |
| Kyrie Irving | 23 | 23 |
| Jeremy Lin | 21 | 20 |
| Eric Bledsoe | 21 | 19 |
| Jeff Teague | 20 | 19 |
| Jrue Holiday | 19 | 15 |
| Goran Dragic | 18 | 8 |
| Mike Conley | 17 | 22 |
| Dennis Schroder | 17 | 11 |
| Zach LaVine | 16 | 23 |
| Reggie Jackson | 15 | 9 |
| Derrick Rose | 14 | 4 |
| D'Angelo Russell | 12 | 7 |
| Elfrid Payton | 12 | 5 |
| Ricky Rubio | 11 | 10 |
| Rajon Rondo | 11 | 5 |
| Tyreke Evans | 10 | 4 |
| Deron Williams | 9 | 4 |
| George Hill | 9 | 10 |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | 8 | 5 |
| Eric Gordon | 8 | 12 |
| Darren Collison | 7 | 7 |
| Patrick Beverley | 7 | 13 |
| Tim Frazier | 4 | 6 |
| Brandon Knight | 4 | 5 |
Shooting Guards
| Player | H2H | ROTO |
| James Harden | 49 | 51 |
| DeMar DeRozan | 29 | 24 |
| Jimmy Butler | 23 | 30 |
| Jeremy Lin | 21 | 20 |
| Bradley Beal | 18 | 24 |
| CJ McCollum | 17 | 23 |
| Nicolas Batum | 17 | 15 |
| Andrew Wiggins | 16 | 8 |
| Zach LaVine | 16 | 23 |
| Dwyane Wade | 14 | 10 |
| Klay Thompson | 14 | 23 |
| Avery Bradley | 13 | 20 |
| Devin Booker | 12 | 8 |
| Victor Oladipo | 11 | 15 |
| Evan Fournier | 11 | 13 |
| Eric Gordon | 8 | 12 |
| Lou Williams | 7 | 7 |
| Gary Harris | 7 | 13 |
| Rodney Hood | 6 | 3 |
| Sean Kilpatrick | 6 | 5 |
| Khris Middleton | 6 | 5 |
| Tyler Johnson | 6 | 6 |
| Will Barton | 5 | 7 |
| Wesley Matthews | 5 | 9 |
| JJ Redick | 5 | 9 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 4 | 5 |
| Nick Young | 4 | 8 |
| Bojan Bogdanovic | 3 | 5 |
Small Forwards
| Player | H2H | ROTO |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 38 | 53 |
| LeBron James | 36 | 36 |
| Kevin Durant | 31 | 54 |
| Jimmy Butler | 23 | 30 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 23 | 46 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 22 | 21 |
| Gordon Hayward | 20 | 20 |
| Paul George | 19 | 25 |
| Nicolas Batum | 17 | 19 |
| Andrew Wiggins | 16 | 8 |
| Jabari Parker | 16 | 17 |
| Rudy Gay | 14 | 19 |
| Harrison Barnes | 12 | 14 |
| Evan Fournier | 11 | 13 |
| Justise Winslow | 9 | 7 |
| Danilo Gallinari | 9 | 12 |
| Otto Porter | 9 | 31 |
| Markieff Morris | 8 | 5 |
| TJ Warren | 7 | 12 |
| Trevor Ariza | 7 | 17 |
| Jae Crowder | 6 | 17 |
| Tobias Harris | 6 | 9 |
| Wesley Matthews | 5 | 9 |
| Ben Simmons | 5 | 4 |
| Thaddeus Young | 4 | 11 |
| Nick Young | 4 | 8 |
| Maurice Harkless | 3 | 7 |
| Al-Farouq Aminu | 3 | 6 |
| Robert Covington | 3 | 6 |
| Marcus Morris | 3 | 5 |
| Chandler Parsons | 3 | 5 |
| Aaron Gordon | 2 | 5 |
Power Forwards
| Player | H2H | ROTO |
| Anthony Davis | 35 | 45 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 31 | 30 |
| Kevin Love | 23 | 31 |
| Draymond Green | 22 | 36 |
| Paul George | 19 | 25 |
| Paul Millsap | 18 | 26 |
| Nikola Jokic | 17 | 26 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 16 | 27 |
| Jabari Parker | 16 | 17 |
| Blake Griffin | 15 | 13 |
| Rudy Gay | 14 | 19 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | 13 | 18 |
| Wilson Chandler | 10 | 7 |
| Danilo Gallinari | 9 | 12 |
| Otto Porter | 9 | 24 |
| Myles Turner | 9 | 23 |
| Serge Ibaka | 9 | 22 |
| Julius Randle | 9 | 4 |
| Markieff Morris | 8 | 5 |
| Derrick Favors | 7 | 12 |
| Trevor Ariza | 7 | 17 |
| Gorgui Dieng | 7 | 16 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 6 | 8 |
| Tobias Harris | 6 | 9 |
| Thaddeus Young | 4 | 5 |
| Jon Leuer | 4 | 6 |
| Ryan Anderson | 3 | 11 |
| Moe Harkless | 3 | 7 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 3 | 5 |
| Clint Capela | 3 | 5 |
| Marcus Morris | 3 | 5 |
| Marvin Williams | 2 | 5 |
| Aaron Gordon | 2 | 5 |
Centers
| Player | H2H | ROTO |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 31 | 30 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 26 | 35 |
| Hassan Whiteside | 19 | 28 |
| Brook Lopez | 18 | 27 |
| Andre Drummond | 17 | 8 |
| Al Horford | 17 | 30 |
| Nikola Jokic | 17 | 26 |
| Joel Embiid | 15 | 16 |
| Marc Gasol | 14 | 24 |
| Dwight Howard | 14 | 11 |
| Mason Plumlee | 12 | 9 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 11 | 12 |
| Nikola Vucevic | 11 | 11 |
| Pau Gasol | 10 | 7 |
| Marcin Gortat | 9 | 13 |
| Rudy Gobert | 9 | 25 |
| Myles Turner | 9 | 23 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | 9 | 13 |
| Derrick Favors | 7 | 12 |
| Greg Monroe | 7 | 9 |
| Steven Adams | 5 | 8 |
| Cody Zeller | 5 | 6 |
| Robin Lopez | 5 | 8 |
| Enes Kanter | 4 | 6 |
| Tristan Thompson | 3 | 7 |
| Jahlil Okafor | 3 | 6 |
| Clint Capela | 3 | 5 |
| Bismack Biyombo | 3 | 0 |
| John Henson | 2 | 7 |
